(jhohmann@politico.com; Twitter: @jameshohmann)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Good morning from the Republican National Committee state chairman’s meeting, where Mitt Romney and John McCain will rally the establishment this afternoon. The Rules Committee met yesterday afternoon to consider the calendar. My story explains why many party leaders are now happy with the protracted nominating fight: http://politi.co/I8USO4. Ahead of McCain introducing Romney, the Democratic National Committee has posted this 77-second web video to highlight the hardest of the Arizona senator’s old attacks on Romney: http://bit.ly/JTM27n.
EXCLUSIVE – RON PAUL RAISES $10.4 MILLION IN Q1: The Texas congressman will report today that he had $1.8 million cash on hand at the end of the first quarter. In March alone, Paul raised $2.6 million. He has no debt. The $10.4 million haul in the first three months of the year does not count a $1.4 million money bomb on April 15. As Paul continues to campaign, he’s pairing many of his town halls with lunch fundraisers.
INDIANA EXCLUSIVE – LUGAR STEPS UP “TAX CHEAT” ATTACK IN MAILER: Chasing the TV ad we brought you earlier in the week, Sen. Richard Lugar’s campaign is about to flood Indiana Republican mailboxes with a mailer that accuses conservative challenger Richard Mourdock of wrongly accepted homestead and mortgage deductions for three years. “How can ‘Indiana’s chief financial officer’ not know he wasn’t properly paying his Indiana property taxes?” asks Lugar spokesman Andy Fisher. The campaign plans/wants to make “TRUST” a key issue in the race. Mourdock vigorously disputes the truthfulness of the charge and called on the ad to be taken down, explaining that it was the result of a county auditor mistake that he brought to their attention: http://bit.ly/IDrLnJ. See the mailer (which features a big photo of a cookie jar): http://bit.ly/HXtLf4.
FIRST IN SCORE – FRIESS WILL CHAIR CPAC CHICAGO: Foster Friess, the main donor behind Rick Santorum’s Super PAC, is looking to take on a higher-profile role in the conservative movement. The American Conservative Union will announce this morning that he will chair “CPAC Chicago,” their Midwest-flavored event on June 8. ACU Chairman Al Cardenas calls him “one of America’s most influential conservatives” and says he can help unite the right to defeat Obama.
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE – AMERICAN BRIDGE HITS BROWN ON FENWAY: On the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, the Democratic-linked Super PAC will push this 45-second web video noting Sen. Scott Brown’s support while in the state legislature for sending the Boston Red Sox to Foxborough, where the New England Patriots play. This is relevant because Brown recently said in a radio ad that replacing Fenway would have been “a mistake.” The tagline: “Good thing Scott Brown struck out.” Maybe he will get asked about it when he is on Morning Joe live from Fenway with Democrat Elizabeth Warren… Watch: http://bit.ly/HUGWg6.
** As polls show real concern about the economy, Perry repays a favor and Joe Walsh’s ex-wife puts out a statement that says he’s not a deadbeat after all, here’s POLITICO’s Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.
NORTH CAROLINA SCANDAL – DEM CHAIR WILL STEP DOWN NEXT MONTH: “Embattled N.C. Democratic Party Chairman David Parker said [Thursday] afternoon that he would not resign, despite mounting pressure in the wake of revelations that he authorized a financial settlement with a former employee over sex-harassment allegations,” the Charlotte Observer reports. “Parker, in a news conference held in party headquarters in Raleigh, said he would not seek re-election to the volunteer, unpaid position of chairman. He said he would recommend party elections be moved up to May from June. That announcement drew a measured response from the national party… Democratic National Committee Executive Director Patrick Gaspard said, ‘David Parker made the right decision to resign effective immediately following the next executive committee meeting of the NCDP. This is in the best interest of the Party. The NCDP should convene this meeting as soon as possible.’” Story: http://bit.ly/J9Axi0. Video of the 35-minute press conference: http://bit.ly/HXQXYA.
A SENIOR NATIONAL DEMOCRAT told Parker before his press conference that the president needed him “to fall on his sword,” as one source put it to Jonathan Martin. “The DNC is now working with North Carolina Democrats on finding a suitable replacement for Parker, somebody who won't be a distraction when Obama and the party convene in Charlotte this summer. That person won't be the first vice-chair Gwen Wilkins, who has reportedly been hit with misdemeanor charges for bouncing checks. Part of the reason Parker didn't resign immediately as of today is that Wilkins would've automatically ascended to the chairmanship.” http://politi.co/IVwLSE
TOP TALKER – MOST REPUBLICAN PROS DON’T THINK ROMNEY WILL WIN: “Under the table, there is pervasive pessimism among Republicans about Romney’s prospects this fall,” Jonathan Martin reports in the story leading our site. “It’s apparent in rampant discussions about which Republicans will run in 2016 - talk that obviously presupposes a loss in November - and it’s downright glaring in private conversations with GOP officials on Capitol Hill and in consulting shops across Washington. And the skepticism about Romney isn’t just a Beltway phenomenon. Rank-and-file Republican voters are also uncertain he can win, though it’s the chattering class that is most bearish.” Jonathan has some good reporting on who in Romney world is doing outreach to who in the Republican coalition, part of a broader effort to convince conservatives that their presumptive nominee is electable: http://politi.co/Jjv33m.
DANIELS SAYS ROMNEY NEEDS TO BE MORE “CONSTRUCTIVE”: In a Wednesday interview with the Indianapolis Star, outgoing Gov. Mitch Daniels lamented Romney’s approach to the campaign. From the column: “He said political victories that follow ‘slash-and-burn’ campaigns seldom lead to great accomplishments. ‘You have to campaign to govern, not just to win,’ he said. ‘Spend the precious time and dollars explaining what's at stake and a constructive program to make life better. And as I say, look at everything through the lens of folks who have yet to achieve.’ After a pause, Daniels added with disappointment: ‘Romney doesn't talk that way.’ ‘You don't change one thing about the policies you advocate or your principles,’ he said, noting instead that candidates should simply make clear how their policies would lift up those who are struggling.” This certainly does not sound like someone who wants to be considered for VP: http://indy.st/HWUvIX
SECRET SERVICE CLEARS NUGENT: “Ted Nugent says Secret Service agents concluded Thursday that he did not, in fact, threaten President Barack Obama. ‘I met with two fine, professional Secret Service agents in [Oklahoma] today,” Nugent said in a statement to the press. ‘The meeting could not have gone better.’ … Meanwhile, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the ‘issue has been resolved,’ and that the agency ‘does not anticipate any further action.’” Story: http://politi.co/HXlqb4. The statement posted on TedNugent.com: http://bit.ly/HUzWzJ.
OTHERNESS –
CLINTON EXPLAINS WHY OBAMA CANNOT PUSH GUN CONTROL: The AP reports that Bill “Clinton was asked about the gun issue during his keynote address at a New York City conference on sustainability. The former president said Obama is from Chicago and ‘he was in the state Senate from the most liberal district in Chicago.’ Clinton said he was able to sign the 1993 Brady handgun law, which mandated federal background checks for gun buyers, because he was from Arkansas, had grown up among hunters and had hunted in his youth. ‘I knew what to do,’ Clinton said. ‘They couldn't turn me into some freak, and I went after them.’ He added, ‘I have an unusual cultural advantage to deal with this on a legislative basis.’” http://huff.to/I7awNV
MONTANA GOVERNOR HITS MITT ON MORMONISM: Democrat Brian Schweitzer told Daily Beast reporter Ben Jacobs yesterday that Romney could have issues nationally because his father was “born on a polygamy commune in Mexico.” The comment was reportedly unprovoked: “While discussing swing states, Schweitzer said Romney would have a ‘tall order to position Hispanics to vote for him,’ and I replied that was mildly ironic since Mitt’s father was born in Mexico, giving the clan a nominal claim to being Hispanic. Schweitzer replied that it is ‘kinda ironic given that his family came from a polygamy commune in Mexico, but then he’d have to talk about his family coming from a polygamy commune in Mexico, given the gender discrepancy…I am not alleging by any stretch that Romney is a polygamist and approves of [the] polygamy lifestyle, but his father was born into [a] polygamy commune in Mexico.” The Obama campaign swiftly distanced itself, saying attacking someone on religion is out of bounds. http://bit.ly/HXuoWd
DER SPIEGEL has an article (translated into English) on “Why Romney Is Hobbled by His Mormon Faith” if you’re interested in the German/Euro perspective: http://bit.ly/HRJarE.
LATEST POLLING –
NBC/WSJ of national registered voters: Obama, 49; Romney, 43. “In measuring key attributes and qualities, Obama also enjoys significant leads on being easygoing and likeable (54 percent to 18 percent); on caring about average people (52 percent to 22 percent); on dealing with issues of concern to women (49 percent to 21 percent); and on looking out for the middle class (48 percent to 27 percent),” notes NBC’s Mark Murray. “BUT Romney’s advantage comes on what will probably be the No. 1 issue in the fall: the economy. By a 40-34 percent margin, respondents believe Romney would be better when it comes to having good ideas for improving the economy. And Romney also edges Obama on changing ‘business as usual’ in Washington. Thirty-eight percent think the economy will improve within the next year, 19 percent say it will get worse and 42 percent believe it will stay the same.” NBC: http://on.msnbc.com/J0TcLu. WSJ: http://on.wsj.com/I3Mq4N.
THE WIVES: Ann Romney’s positive/negative score is 27-17. Michelle Obama’s is 54-20. http://on.msnbc.com/HXlEz6
FOX NEWS of Ohio registered voters: Obama, 45; Romney, 39. Keep an eye on this in future Buckeye polls: “White working class voters who earn less than $50,000 annually split: 41 percent Romney and 40 percent Obama.” Story: http://fxn.ws/J8TLnK. Results: http://fxn.ws/Isokkw.
FOX NEWS of Florida registered voters: Obama, 45; Romney, 43. Most striking finding: “By a 75-15 percent margin, Obama’s backers overwhelmingly say they are voting “for” him rather than ‘against’ Romney. The reverse is true for Romney voters, who are much more likely to be motivated by voting ‘against’ Obama (52 percent) than ‘for’ Romney (32 percent).” Story: http://fxn.ws/J8U7eg. Results: http://fxn.ws/HUzguf.
CNN/ORC national: “43% say things are going well in the country, up a slight three points from February, but up a dramatic 19 points from last August. Fifty-seven percent say things are going badly, down three points from February and down 16 points from last August. Nearly a quarter of those questioned say the economy is starting to recover, with just over four in ten saying it has stabilized and a third saying that the country is still in a downturn with conditions getting worse.” http://bit.ly/JdU8J3
QUINNIPIAC national: “35 percent they are worse off financially than four years ago, and 51 percent don't expect their personal financial situation to change in the next 12 months…Voters say 68 - 27 percent the economy is in a recession, but say 53 - 43 percent it has begun to recover.” Press release out this morning: http://bit.ly/HY1wLc.
PUBLIC POLICY POLLING national: Obama, 49; Romney, 46. Tom Jensen’s analysis: “Romney's seen a massive improvement in his personal favorability numbers over the last 2 months as GOP voters have unified around him. He's gone from a -28 spread (29/57) up to a -12 one (39/51). Most of the improvement has come with Republicans, going from 43/41 to 67/22.” Some VP numbers: http://bit.ly/JdG3eM.
GALLUP national: “By a 50% to 42% margin, more Americans have confidence in Obama than in Romney on the economy.” http://bit.ly/JmC275
GALLUP of stay-at-home moms nationally: Democrat/Lean Democrat, 44; Republican/Lean Republican, 34; Pure independent, 19. BUT look at self-described ideology: Moderate, 39; Conservative, 37; Liberal, 20. http://bit.ly/JmxE7S
PUBLIC RELIGION RESEARCH INSTITUTE/GEORGETOWN of 18-24 year-olds: Obama, 48; Generic Republican, 41. Compare that to 2008: Obama, 66; McCain, 32. http://politi.co/IbmKEK
ROMNEY RAMPS UP – FLESHING OUT THE ORG CHART: Today’s New York Times says Romney’s five sons, especially Tagg and Josh, will take a more active role as surrogates – and that Romney’s grandchildren may become more visible in the campaign. “Large rallies and town-hall-style meetings will give way to daily fund-raisers and smaller campaign events designed to push out the candidate’s message,” per Ashley Parker. “Though the campaign will add regional directors, as Senator John McCain did in 2008, the overall structure will be flatter, with each state director reporting directly to Boston.” http://nyti.ms/JrraaO
AUSTIN BARBOUR JOINS FULL TIME: The Mississippi Republican consultant will be Stu Stevens’ deputy, per The Huffington Post’s Jon Ward. “Barbour has been a national finance chairman for Romney, and helped staff get out the vote efforts in numerous primary states. He also headed up the ground game for Romney in Mississippi…Barbour, 36, is a nephew to former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour…Stevens, who is a native of Mississippi, has a longstanding relationship with the Barbour family.” http://huff.to/HXnakB
BOSTON BRINGS IN POMPEI, MADDEN: “Sarah Pompei, communications director for House GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy and an '08 Romney press aide, is returning to Boston full-time,” per Jonathan Martin. “Beginning May 1, Pompei will serve as Deputy Communications Director for Regional Press for Romney, overseeing all the battleground state media for the GOP nominee. Meanwhile, Kevin Madden, Romney's national press secretary in 2008 and a close adviser ever since, is going on the campaign payroll. Madden, a well-connected Washington-based consultant, had previously been a busy but unpaid strategist to Boston.” http://politi.co/I6GyJU
HIRES NATIONAL SECURITY SPOKESMAN: “Romney has hired Richard A. Grenell, a veteran Republican communications strategist who served in the George W. Bush administration, as his national security and foreign policy spokesman,” per The Washington Post’s Phil Rucker. “During all eight years of President George W. Bush’s tenure, Grenell served as the administration’s director of communications and public diplomacy at the United Nations. He advised four U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations: John D. Negroponte, John C. Danforth, John R. Bolton and Zalmay Khalilzad.” http://wapo.st/J0JzfM
EMBRACING WEALTH – ROMNEY SAYS OBAMA ATTACKING SUCCESS: “Romney stopped running from his wealth Thursday, saying he won't apologize for his family's success after President Obama suggested that the presumptive GOP nominee was born with a ‘silver spoon in his mouth,’” the Washington Examiner’s Hayley Peterson writes. "I'm certainly not going to apologize for my dad and his success in his life," Romney said on Fox News. "I know the president likes to attack fellow Americans. He's always looking for a scapegoat, particularly those [who] have been successful like my dad, and I'm not going to rise to that." The Obama line that prompted it: "I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Michelle wasn't," he said in an Ohio speech. "But somebody gave us a chance." More: “White House spokesman Jay Carney later said Obama wasn't targeting Romney in his remarks.” http://bit.ly/JjJi8m
AWKWARD OPTICS – ROMNEY VISITS FACTORY CLOSED UNDER BUSH, BLAMES OBAMA: The governor “visited an Ohio factory, closed when President George W. Bush was in office, to make the case that the economic policies of President Obama prevented the facility and others like it from reopening,” Bloomberg reports. “Standing in the middle of an empty warehouse floor yesterday, Romney blamed Obama for promoting policies that have slowed the economic recovery. ‘It would have reopened by now, but it’s still empty,’ the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said. ‘It underscores the failure of this president’s policies with regards to getting the economy working again.’” Honest question: why not just go to a factory that closed while Obama was president? All the coverage of what was supposed to be a bracketing event noted the Bush/Obama tie. http://bloom.bg/IDkhB3
VEEPSTAKES – RUBIO DREAM PROPOSAL PUTS ROMNEY IN A BIND: “Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has thrust himself into the raging illegal immigration debate, proposing a plan that would create a path to legal status for children of illegal immigrants — putting him at odds with an immoveable wing of the Republican Party on this issue,” Manu Raju reports. “It’s a risky move for a potential vice presidential candidate, and it puts presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney in a pickle as he may have to decide whether to back an immigration plan rolled out by one of the party’s rising Hispanic stars, or stick to the strident anti-illegal immigrant positions he staked out during the Republican primary.” NBC on Rubio saying Romney is going to pick someone with more experience: http://on.msnbc.com/JTMp1R. Manu: http://politi.co/HXyQ7f.
NEWT DEATH WATCH, DAY 37—SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION SAVES CAMPAIGN CUT MONEY: “Gingrich has the ‘Camp David’ package of Secret Service, which includes but is not limited to six cars, six federal agents, four state troopers at a campaign stop, four local agents when the candidate arrives and a press agent if there is a press bus, a person with knowledge of the Gingrich campaign said,” per ABC’s Elicia Dover. “Although the cost to keep the Secret Service detail on the Gingrich campaign couldn’t be determined, it includes agents’ meals, hotel stays, transportation and salary. The person with knowledge of the Secret Service and the campaign said Gingrich’s protection might be helping him stay in race because the cost is borne by taxpayers… With Secret Service, the campaign also does not have to pay for private security for Gingrich. Private security alone can total $50,000 a month.” http://abcn.ws/J0Om0J
SO MUCH FOR THE “SURPRISE”: The Gingrich campaign sent an on-the-record advisory last night announcing that the candidate will make “a surprise stop” by a Sussex County GOP event in Delaware tonight. He also has a rally in Buffalo.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO: “In the afternoon, the President will welcome the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride to the White House in celebration of the sixth annual Soldier Ride. A cycling event to help Wounded Warriors restore their physical and emotional well-being, the Soldier Ride also raises awareness of our nation’s Wounded Warriors who battle the physical and psychological damages of war.”
FUNDRAISING –
CROSSROADS HAS RAISED $100 MILLION THIS CYCLE: Maggie Haberman reports that the two Crossroads groups raised $51 million in 2011 and $49 million in the first quarter of 2012. American Crossroads will also report $24.4 million in cash on hand. Crossroads GPS won't report a cash on hand figure. http://politi.co/HXeZl3
NRSC FUNRAISING – $15 MILLION IN Q1, $5.76 MILLION IN MARCH: “The national fundraising arm in charge of electing Republicans to the Senate now has $19.6 million cash on hand with no campaign debt,” CNN reports. “It’s Democratic counterpart reported bringing in $7.4 million in March, capping off a $17.7 million first quarter haul. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee now has nearly $24 million in the bank, also with zero debt.” http://bit.ly/IsGYsD
INDIANA SENATE – ACCCIDENTAL “CC” TIPPED OFF STATE PARTY ON DATABASE MISUSE: “An Indiana Republican Party leader investigating how Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's campaign used a party database said Thursday he won't face any possible party sanctions before the May 8 primary,” the AP reports. “Jennifer Ping said Mourdock campaign manager Jim Holden likely violated a user agreement with the state party when he shared a logon to the database with an outside vendor. The party immediately caught the violation and locked the Mourdock campaign out of the database, said Ping, who chairs the party's technology and communication committee…Mourdock was shut out of the database after his campaign manager wrote a March 14 email asking a campaign staffer and campaign consultants to ‘pillage’ the database. The state party easily caught Holden's attempt to share access to the database with outside vendors when he accidentally included the party's technology director on the ‘pillage’ email, Ping said.” http://bit.ly/JcDSe0
TEXAS SENATE – PERRY ENDORSES DEWHURST: “The favor has been repaid,” the Houston Chronicle reports. “Dewhurst, the state’s lieutenant governor, was a strong supporter of Perry’s ill-starred presidential campaign and stumped for Perry before the Iowa caucuses.” Chron: http://bit.ly/JrE4W6. Here’s a smart Texas Tribune column by Ross Ramsey about what a HUGE blow it would be for Ted Cruz’s political future if he doesn’t finish at least second in the primary: http://nyti.ms/IsI7QV.
EMILY’S LIST TO ENDORSE FIVE CANDIDATES: The woman’s group will announce today that that they are fully recommending Shelley Adler (NJ-03), Kathy Boockvar (PA-08), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) to their members. Four were previously “on the list” to watch. “We can take back the House in 2012 – and we can make Washington work for women and families – but only if we elect strong women like Shelley, Kathy, Julia, Carol, and Kyrsten who will stand up against the GOP’s radical anti-woman agenda and work to build a more progressive America,” Stephanie Schriock, President of EMILY’s List, says in a forthcoming statement.
ILLINOIS HOUSE—JOE WALSH EX-WIFE SAYS HE’S NOT A DEADBEAT: “Tea Party favorite Rep. Joe Walsh and his ex-wife Laura Walsh have reached a settlement on her claim that he owed her $117,000 in back child support from years of paying nothing,” per the Chicago Sun-Times. “‘Even my former wife agrees I was never a ‘deadbeat dad’ and we have resolved our differences in private,’ the outspoken conservative freshman from McHenry said at a news conference Thursday. Neither side would disclose the terms of the settlement. Laura Walsh did not comment Thursday beyond a written statement she made jointly with her ex-husband saying, in part: ‘We now agree that Joe is not and was not a ‘deadbeat dad’ and does not owe child support.’” http://bit.ly/I38n3Q
ARIZONA HOUSE – BARBER UP WITH FIRST AD: “Democrat Ron Barber launched his first television ad in Arizona's 8th District special election on Wednesday, a biographical spot that briefly points out that he worked as former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ district director and highlights his work with disabled people and in business,” Julie Sobel writes for Hotline. “While Barber doesn't say in the ad that he worked for Giffords, her name flashes across the screen as he talks about being district director.” Watch: http://bit.ly/HSaHJq.
WISCONSIN RECALL – WALKER VIDEO HITS BARRETT: The governor’s campaign posted a 1-minute web video with video clips highlighting tough rhetoric from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who is running on a “civility” message. The message is HYPOCRISY: http://bit.ly/HRVfNe.
LIGHTER CLICKS –
JON STEWART ridiculed Fox News for what he says is its suddenly pro-Romney tone: http://bit.ly/Jn7Ngd.
STEPHEN COLBERT celebrated being on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world: http://gaw.kr/HXdbZ7.
NIKKI HALEY, the governor of South Carolina, posed for a Vogue photo shoot: http://bit.ly/IVwi31.
MATT DAMON, the actor, said he would kiss George W. Bush “on the mouth” for the work he did to take on AIDS in Africa: http://bit.ly/IVMuB4.
CODA – QUOTE OF THE DAY: “What happened was, during 'Rocky Ground,' which is kind of a really spiritual song, people sat, so I sat up on the seat, and put my head back and closed my eyes and listened to the song…I have never fallen asleep during a Bruce Springsteen show. I will never fall asleep during a Bruce Springsteen show.” – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie denies a New York Post report http://politi.co/HVoQWw
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